French beauty brand Clarins quietly unveiled its biggest launch of the year a few weeks ago on its own ecomm site and social media platforms. It’s called Double Serum Foundation and it is truly a next-generation makeup formula that takes the whole skincare-makeup hybrid to another level.
Serum-infused foundation and makeup isn’t new. We’ve seen these products for at least five years as beauty brands raced to create foundation that felt weightless with added skincare ingredients. Some were better than others. But the issue was that in many formulas the amount of skincare ingredients was quite small. For some, it was a marketing hook. It made the product seem much more appealing and modern. But were there enough of these active ingredients to really make a difference to your complexion?
Here’s the truth that most beauty influencers fail to understand: formulating makeup with skincare is hugely difficult for cosmetic chemists. Skincare ingredients, particularly plant botanicals, rarely work together well. They can clash. (It’s the same with perfumes) So it takes a very skilled scientist to get ingredients to blend together and work seamlessly. Even more challenging is to have enough of these ingredients to make a difference to your skin.
This is why Clarins’ Double Serum Foundation is impressive. Thirty percent of the formula is skincare. This is enough to nourish and support your skin throughout the day. It isn’t just marketing.
Double Serum has won more than 480 global awards to date for very good reason. It is one of the best anti-aging serums on the planet boasting dozens of organic plant extracts and actives that fight all the signs of skin aging. The first edition of the product debuted in 1985, the genius of Jacques Courtin-Clarins who pioneered a dual-cylinder system that separated the water-soluble and oil-soluble ingredients. When you pressed the cap, it released the both cylinders to deposit the same proportion of ingredients as healthy skin. This allowed it to be absorbed deep into skin. (The formula has been updated nine times to date as new plant actives have been discovered.)
Here’s a secret that isn’t widely known about Double Serum Foundation. The serum in the foundation is unique to the foundation – it’s isn’t the exact same as the stand alone serum. Clarins’ scientists hand-picked the 14 best plant botanicals in the serum that would work best with makeup and would support the skin throughout the day in a foundation product. It’s an exclusive blend in the foundation of five pure active molecule and plant extract pairings including horse chestnut, strawberry tree, curcellaria and teasel.
What is Clarins’ Double Serum Foundation?
This is a next-level fluid serum foundation with a luminous satin finish that promises medium-to-full coverage available in 37 different shades. It boasts an adjustable dial to give you the perfect coverage for your style and needs. In clinical tests, the product stood up for a full 12 hours and reduced the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It boosted skin radiance and kept skin hydrated and comfortable. Formulated for all skin types and ages.
One of the key characteristics of new foundations is an understanding of light optics to make skin look more radiant and healthy-looking. In this product, you’ll find an Advanced Ultra Radiance Amplifier containing light-boosting ingredients and illuminating microcrystals. Why include this? That’s because youthful skin reflects light rays. It gives that healthy glow. As we age, our skin loses the ability to reflect these rays.
Clarins Double Serum Foundation, $74 for 30 ml. Available in 37 shades. At Shoppers and clarins.ca
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